ESCO Services

ESCO Service Philosophy

“Most compelling is the depth of support from the entire company. All employees speak the same language of dedication, commitment and customer care. Based on the above facts, I would highly recommend RTS Water Solutions on future projects.” – ESCO Project Manager

The above quote says it all. We understand that our success as an organization and your success as an ESCO are intertwined. We appreciate the opportunity that our ESCO partners have given us to successfully complete water conservation projects for them.

Everything we do is grounded in the principles of trust and value. We owe our success to you and your trust and confidence in our team. We believe that providing value-added services that meet or exceed expectations is the fundamental key to building relationships with our customers.

It is our team’s unique mix of experience, interests, and passion that makes the difference. We have intentionally assembled a team that combines planners and designers, experimenters and storytellers, researchers and builders. For engineering, design and installation projects, the result is resources that meet the unique needs of each project and client.

We remain steadfastly committed to building and maintaining relationships; from the first contact to the final deliverable. We will continue to listen and learn as we utilize the success of our customers as a foundation for our company’s future.

Documentation

We have found quality documentation to be a vital part of all projects. Documentation is required and necessary from the initial stage through the completion of the project. Thorough and clear documentation is necessary as it houses all key information of your project.

Documentation that is on-time and complete, through all stages of the project, may become the difference between success and failure of the project. When considering your options for an efficient water solution, it is important to address the implications of poor documentation. Below are some of the challenges that our customers have experienced prior to working with RTS Water Solutions.

Misunderstood Format: The time it takes to read and understand documentation can become laborious. Documentation should be laid out in a consistent format; easy to read and understand.

Proposed vs. Implemented: When solutions are proposed, but not implemented, it affects cost, time and efficiency. This will also have an impact on your return on investment.

Certified Payroll Issues: Many customers worry about whether or not they are liable for the Certified Payroll being handled correctly.

From start to finish, our fast, efficient, and thorough electronic documentation is used to support your sales staff, engineers, design team, project managers and installers. Our documentation is precise, complete and easy to understand. You and your customers will receive project documentation you can count on every time. All of this documentation is available to our customers through our customer portal.

Water Audit

Buck Maynard, one of the owners of RTS Water Solutions, regularly states, “The audit is everything! It’s all about the way we start a project that prepares our teams for success.” The audit is truly the foundation for all that we do. Below are challenges we have discovered that our partners have experienced, before working with RTS.

Fixture Counts are Inaccurate: When fixture counts are inaccurate, a project is delayed due to the time it takes to receive the correct material and parts. These delays affect the entire projects as most projects follow a stringent timeline.

Missed Rooms and Buildings on Project Audits: When rooms are missed the project scope winds up being underestimated and potential savings are lost in addition to the time it takes to make these corrections.

Upset Potential Customers by Late Arrival or Unannounced Visits:Being late to an audit is inconsiderate; the auditors do not respect the client’s schedule. This sets the project up for tense interaction for all involved and does not lead to repeat business or positive referrals.

Inaccurate or incomplete audits can mean project delays, disgruntled customers, higher costs and possible code violations. The importance of hiring a highly qualified company with well trained employees is crucial to the success of a project. Our experience is demonstrated consistently; we look, listen and identify potential problems and opportunities early in the process. Doing it right the first time avoids costly mistakes later. As Buck says, “The audit is everything!”

Design

“The scope was budgeted and designed by RTS Water Solutions, and at the end of the project we will meet the guaranteed savings that was projected”~ ESCO Project Manager

Once you have had a successful audit completed the design team goes to work creating an innovative and practical water project for the customer. As with all aspects of project development, there are challenges to overcome. Below are some design challenges that our customers have experienced prior to working with RTS.

Not Designed to Meet Economic Criteria: The economic criteria vary by customers and depend on many variables. Failure to meet the economic criteria results in failure to work within the variables of the project.

Cost Efficient Technology has Not Been Utilized: The incorrect specification of equipment will limit your return on investment.

Projects Designed with Cutting-Edge Solutions that Could Potentially be Unproven Technology: The ESCO business requires consistent performance for the term of the project. The latest “cutting edge” solutions often result in quality issues and missed savings guarantees.

The key is the right solution for your project, whether it’s the most current, cutting edge technology, the tried and true, or something in between. The designer of your project should come with an open mind and open, two-way communication. You have many other contractors requiring your time and energy. All of our project designs are overseen by a Professional Engineer with ESCO experience to ensure that the project is engineered appropriately and to maximize water savings.

Proposal

Choosing the right contractor for your project can be complicated. You need to feel confident that the contractor you chose has a complete understanding of the project at hand. In order to do this, the contractor demonstrates their understanding of the project by presenting a proposal that outlines the information and procedures in one contained document. The proposal helps facilitate the project from the design stage to the close-out and can act as a guideline to follow. Below are challenges we have discovered that our partners have experienced, prior to working with RTS.

Lack of Detail: Creating a proposal can be tedious work. Missing line items can cause missed savings opportunities. Complete detail in the proposal is needed to make an informed decision.

Poor Water Balance: Inaccurate data will result in consumption and savings projections that do not result in a proper water balance.

Overstatement of Existing Flows: Overstatement of existing flows in a proposal will result in the appearance of higher savings and cash flow. However, this will ultimately be revealed in the M&V and guarantee.

A proper water proposal should include everything necessary to make an informed decision. Minimally it should include every water fixture, savings, cost, payback information, cash flows, operational savings, and environmental impacts. Many factors should be taken into consideration when proposing upgrades. Meeting with each customer prior to auditing in order to determine the water needs of each facility is very important. Key factors include the age of the building, the age of the fixtures and water consuming equipment, and the utility rate structure. Some customers are payback driven while others are cost driven. The goal is to develop a complete proposal by working individually with each customer to develop a water project that matches their needs.

Installation

“RTS Water performance has excelled in all categories, including customer contact, safety, schedules, supervision, and quality of materials.”~ ESCO Senior Project Manager

We know our customers are looking for professional installers who provide quality installation as well as staying on schedule. RTS Water Solutions has highly experienced project managers on each project and the installation crews are closely monitored and trained to adhere to the customer’s expectations. Some of the challenges our customers have expressed from working with other installation crews in the field include:

Not Having Background Checks and Drug Screening: Can you trust the individuals working in your facility?

Poorly Trained Installers Working in an Unsafe Manner: Injuries or safety violation are not acceptable.

Not Adhering to Project Schedule: Delays in projects can result in liquidated damages and missed construction period savings guarantees.

Inappropriate Communications with Client: Poor communication creates conflict and confusion for the customer.

A high-quality labor force with exceptional work standards is very important. Our project managers are long term employees who place emphasis on quality, safety, and the needs of the client. Providing installers that are completely trained and back ground checked provides each of our customers with complete confidence.

Sales Support

Our sales professionals specialize in handling ESCO project. They are involved with all correspondence, development, and customer support. Here are some challenges we have discovered that our partners have experienced, before working with RTS.

Slow to respond to client questions: A lack of communication results in missed deadlines and client frustration.

Lack of experience within the industry: Many companies can retrofit plumbing fixtures but not all are committed to energy efficiency and the ESCO process.

Limited communication with project team: The salesperson is like the quarterback of a football team. If he is not effective, the team will not be productive.

Focused on just the project: Understanding the client objectives is critical to a successful project.

From understanding the client objectives of a particular project to participating in your presentations, our sales professionals will support you and your project in any way that is needed.

M & V Services

“After seeing the Pre/Post water measurements provided by RTS, our engineers and the District are very happy with the water savings that will be achieved”~ ESCO Project Manager

A contractor should know what it means to you, that you can clearly see how you stand at the beginning of your project, and at the end. Measurement and Verification (M&V) demonstrates the value of water conservation by providing accurate and, transparent data of our methods and performance. Here are some challenges we have discovered that our partners have experienced, before working with RTS.

Insufficient sampling sizes: Inadequate sample sizes results in your collected data not being statistically significant. When guarantees are in place, this is not acceptable.

Testing equipment not properly certified: Utilizing the appropriate equipment for testing is imperative to the M&V process. Un-calibrated equipment will introduce error into the measurement process.

Depending upon the protocol utilized, your guarantee may be based on the M&V results. RTS Water ensures that the data gathered is accurate and representative through the use of the appropriate equipment, personnel , and methodology.